SALUTING WEST SIDE STARS

Each year, West Side Spirit, the largest community newspaper on the West Side of Manhattan, pauses to salute dozens of New Yorkers whose accomplishments deserve to be highlighted. We call our civic awards the Westys, which stands for  West Side Spirit Thanks You. The requirements to be considered for a Westy are simple. The awards go to New Yorkers who live or work on the West Side and whose accomplishments help improve its neighborhoods. Nominations are made by prominent West Siders, by other Spirit readers and by our editorial staff. The editors and I narrow the lists in each category and select a handful of nominees to honor in person and in the pages of this newspaper. We hope you enjoy reading about these accomplished neighbors in the following pages, and we look forward to hearing more about their achievements in the coming year. Sincerely, Tom Allon President & CEO

[West Sider of the Year]: Judge Judith Kaye

[Bravest and Finest]: Officer Betsey Gonzalez

[Bravest and Finest]: Annemarie Legendy

[Bravest and Finest]: Deputy Inspector Keith Spadaro

[The Charity List]: Paul Guenther

[The Charity List]: Jeff Parness

[The Charity List]: Mary Cooper

[The Charity List]: Deirdre Downes

[The Charity List]: Laura Radensky

[The Charity List]: John Engel

[The Clergy]: Rev. Joseph McShane

[The Clergy]: Rabbi Allen Schwartz

[Community Builders]: Joyce Johnson

[Community Builders]: Margarita Curet

[Community Builders]: Helen Rosenthal

[The Culture Club]: Wynton Marsalis

[The Culture Club]: Christopher London

[The Culture Club]: Stephen Burdman

[The Educators]: Gabrielle Rowe

[Health Care Pros]: Barbra Minch

[Health Care Pros]: Dr. Hassan Khouli

[Entrepreneurs]: Pat Carddick

[Real Estate Royalty]: Susan M. de Franca

[Real Estate Royalty]: Shlomi Reuveni

[Restaurateurs]: Matthew Tivy

[Restaurateurs]: Joan Gallo

[Restaurateurs]: Don Evans